In recent years, relatively inexpensive cameras have been sold in blister or clam shell packages which are hung from horizontal support rods in mass merchandising stores like supermarkets and discount stores. Clam shell packages usually comprise a transparent outer container made of a thin but rigid self-supporting plastic material. It has front and rear sections with closely confronting main walls with peripheral interleaving flanges which are heat sealed. The container section main walls closely envelope a display card having camera identifying indicia and an aperture through which the camera extends. The front and rear halves of the camera project into pockets projecting forwardly and rearwardly respectively from the front and rear container sections. The camera is fully visible from both the front and rear of the clam shell container. Sometimes the bottom of the rear container section includes a rearwardly projecting support foot which enables the packaged camera to be stood upright on a counter top. The container also has a hole at the top thereof for hanging the packaged camera on a horizontal support rod.
When a disc or 35 mm. camera was involved, the camera was supported by the clam shell container so that the front wall or face of the camera is parallel to the main wall of the front container section and the longer dimension of the camera was slightly angled with respect to the horizontal. In the case of a 110 camera with a built-in flash, which has a thin horizontal profile with a length generally much longer than that of a 35 mm. camera, the long dimension of the camera was also slightly angled to the horizontal. Because the long dimension of these cameras is oriented primarily in a horizontal direction, the packaged cameras had a substantial width. To expose the lens side of the 110 camera to the front of the container and minimize the thickness of the package, it was necessary to support the camera so that the lens axis was at an angle to the horizontal. The angle chosen directed the lens axis downwardly. Where the lens side of the camera was not readily visible at most viewing angles or camera positions, which was generally horizontal or above the camera. The substantial width of the packaged camera required a substantial horizontal display space, which is generally much more limited than is the vertical space for displaying merchandise.